Cow's Milk, Frozen - Using For Making Cheese (& Discussion On Freezing Chevre)

[jackdag]

Hi everybody im now in Philippine for producing cheese, i have good result with cow milk, and i try this week with carabao milk (native cow here) but the milk was frozen, did anyone know if its possible to produce good cheese with frozen milk

Thanks

[DeejayDebi]

I have never tried it but I have read of others how have.

[MrsKK]

when I was first making cheese, that is what I used for virtually all of my cheesemaking.  As it was several months between making those cheeses and the ones that I made with fresh raw milk, I really don't remember if there was much difference in the end or not.  As I was so new at it, I'm not sure that I would have noticed any difference or not anyway.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Welcome to the forum!

[Oberhasli]

I had some trouble making chevre from frozen goat milk a couple of years ago.  I think if the recipe you are going to be using doesn't call for the milk to be heated above 100 degrees or so the fat doesn't get incorporated back into the milk completely.  When I make chevre I only heat to 85 degrees and I had a couple of flops.  Maybe if I had added calcium chloride it would have helped.  I plan to make chevre from frozen goat milk at Christmas this year, but I am going to unthaw the milk and then pasteurize it to get all of the frozen fat molecules back into the milk more uniformly at 165 degrees and then make my chevre from the pasteurized milk. 

Does Carabau milk have a high fat content?

Bonnie

[KosherBaker]

I wonder if the rate at which the milk is defrosted affects its composition. OR would that be recomposition after being frozen. 
Like for example if it were thawed out in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature.

I'm also curious if one were to make chevre and than vacuum pack it how long would it keep?

[mtncheesemaker]

I make chevre and freeze it. It keeps nicely all winter when I can't get goat's milk.

[KosherBaker]

I make chevre and freeze it. It keeps nicely all winter when I can't get goat's milk.

And the freezing doesn't affect the flavor or texture?

If only I could get my hands on some raw goat cheese here in the middle of Los Angeles. Gonna have to look harder. The one I buy at Trader Joes that is Kosher and very reasonably priced is made in Canada. However, ever since they switched the packaging to the Trader Joe brand the flavor became much milder, less "goaty". I miss the stronger flavor. So I thought maybe if I make it myself, eventually, I can tailor it to my own taste buds. Key word being eventually.
Funny how several years ago when I started buying goat cheese at TJs I could only eat it on my pizza because I though the flavor was too strong (baking it mellows out the flavor). Now look at me .....